This is the time of year, when many of you will be preparing for school, or summer camp, auditions. Here are a few, hopefully, helpful reminders.

Let’s talk about the audition. In most cases, you have about 12 minutes to convince people that you would be a great person to have at their school, or camp. Don’t waste any of those precious minutes. Before entering the audition room, be sure…

your endpin is out or shoulder rest on

your bow tightened

your instrument tuned

you music in order

You may be asked what you would like to play first. Know what you want to start with and have that piece ready to go. Nothing is worse for a panel, in hours of auditions, than hearing “Hmmm…I’m not sure. I could play the Bach but,…it might be better to start with my concerto…” Show that you’ve thought about the audition and are ready to demonstrate what you are capable of.

When it comes to your repertoire, be sure to practice everything. You only have a short time to play and you don’t want to be surprised by someone asking you for the coda, or the recap, or variation seven.

Challenge yourself. Practice your audition, and not just the music. Imagine you are walking into the room, greeting the panel, then sit down and play through your first piece. How did it go? What could have been better? It’s all about preparation and being as comfortable as possible in what can be a rather tense situation.

Let’s turn the situation around. If you were auditioning a prospective student, what would you want to hear? When you think of teaching someone, what would you be looking for? What qualities would be important to you?